Honey, I Love You
by silkplants
Summary: Arthur is a single parent with an energetic son to raise. Valentine's day is his least favorite day of the year, but the anonymous gifts on his doorstep may change his mind. Especially if they're from his downstairs neighbor. Usuk. Omegaverse.


Arthur turned off his tv as yet another ad for Valentine's day flowers played, the omega's scent souring. He furrowing his brow with an annoyed huff, crossing his arms. His show had just ended, and of course that cursed holiday had to make itself known. It was only a week away, and Arthur had enough of flowers and candies, not like he had anyone to get them from anymore.

He walked out of his apartment to pick up his son from school, and almost stepped on a heart-shaped box. The omega picked it up, and looked it over, sighing as he looked at the tag.

Surely, he thought, some poor soul had the wrong address. But when he looked at the tag, it had his full name, so it must have been meant for him. Arthur peered down the hall, looking both ways and finding there was no one there. He bit his lip, and turned back to his apartment, unlocking his door and placing the candy on the counter. He had no time for this, he was going to be late.

When Arthur pulled up to the school, his son was already waiting in the front with a group of his friends. He parked not far away, and stepped out of the driver's side. His son looked at him, and then gave an excited wave, saying goodbye to his friends. The little alpha ran up to his mother, hugging him tightly and launching off into a recount of his day. His son's accent was far more American than English, and although that sometimes distressed Arthur, it only made sense. He was in an American school system, after all. Arthur had gone to the States to be with his mate, and simply never moved back after the separation.

Arthur nodded along as the boy spoke, and brushed his hair back. He led him towards the car, listening to him with a fond smile. His son, Danny, had bright blue eyes, and feathery, light brown hair. He looked like his father, although, his nose turned up exactly the way Arthur's did, and he had the thick brows that were the telltale sign of a Kirkland.

Danny climbed into the backseat of the car, and buckled in, still chatting about everything that had happened in his class that day. Arthur managed to pick up something about a Valentine's day party. He made a mental note to make sure and buy craft supplies so that Danny could make some cards for his friends.

"-so that got me thinking, Mom, you don't have a Valentine! And, and that's super sad, so maybe you could come to the class party! There's gonna be cupcakes, and fruit punch.."

Arthur sighed, and glanced in his rear view mirror, looking at his boy and cracking a smile. "Ah, Danny, I don't think I'd be very welcome there. Thank you for inviting me, though, I hope you have fun."

"Oh...well then you have to do something else instead! It's not fair, you're a great mom, most of the time anyway..." Danny trailed, puffing out his chest with an indignant huff.

Arthur felt his heart tighten in his chest, and he smiled, chuckling in an airy sort of way, with an underlying disappointment. "Most of the time? You're a rather harsh critic.."

Danny made idle chatter the rest of the way home, and Arthur listened, pleased that at least Danny could enjoy the upcoming holiday.

Arthur parked his car outside of the apartment complex, and opened the door for his son. Danny climbed out, and then looked around, his expression becoming more alert. His smile widened as he noticed Arthur's downstairs neighbor, an alpha by the name of Alfred F. Jones.

He ran up to him, waving and yelling out a greeting. "Mr. Alfred!" Danny called out, and Alfred blinked, setting down a paper bag of groceries as Danny sprinted towards the neighbor.

Arthur followed behind, and sighed, rubbing his arm with a little smile. "Danny-" He started, shaking his head. "Let's not bother Mr. Jones, alright? He's busy."

"It's alright!" Alfred spoke, his tone cheery and warm. "He's super energetic, isn't he?" He chuckled, ruffling Danny's hair. Danny's eyes lit up, and he turned to his mother.

"Hey! Hey, Mom, what if Mr. Alfred was your valentine?" He asked, and Arthur turned red.

"No, Danny, I'm sure Alfred has someone else in mind. Come on, we need to go home." He spoke, his tone becoming a little more stern. Danny sighed and let go of Alfred, nodding as he went back to Arthur.

"Hey- see you later, Danny. You too, Arthur." Alfred smiled, picking up the bag again.

Arthur looked over his shoulder, and waved to him. He caught a brief glimpse of a bouquet of roses in Alfred's bag, but then the alpha went into his apartment and the bag was out of sight. Alfred's golden retriever barked as he shut the door. Arthur went home, holding Danny's hand as they went inside.

The next day, while Danny was at school, Arthur heard his doorbell ring. He was sitting on his sofa after getting home from work, and by the time he looked through his door's peephole, there was no one outside. The omega opened the door, and looked down. There was a bouquet of a dozen red roses lying on the ground, and Arthur's mind wandered to Alfred before he quickly shut the idea down.

He did find himself attracted to Alfred, but after talking to him a few times, he decided the alpha was out of his league. After just recently coming out of a messy divorce, Arthur has no intention of pursuing someone who wouldn't be interested.

Slowly, he picked up the roses, glancing at the tag to find that it was once again addressed to him. He took them inside, and put them in some water. Arthur had put the chocolates in his room. He didn't need Danny finding them. Not only would he eat them all and get sick, but it'd spark his imagination and have him knocking on every door in the complex to find his mother's admirer. Hell, Arthur himself was tempted to do that.

Arthur began receiving presents every day, though never at the same time. It was always while Danny was at school, and Arthur was curious as to whether he'd receive anything on the weekend. He'd been getting tokens for five days now, and after the roses, Arthur found boxes of his personal favorite brand of tea, and then a new book, and then finally his personal favorite.

Friday, two days before the Cursed Holiday, Arthur opened his door to find a white box with a red ribbon. He bit his lip as he brought it inside, opening it carefully and looking into the present. Arthur wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the brown stuffed bear in the bottom wasn't it.

The omega picked it up, blinking. The toy smelled of vanilla. It was somewhat common to give stuffed animals calming scents, since they usually went to small children. This toy wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Two black button eyes, fluffy brown fur and a stitched on smile gave it a classic appearance. It wore a red ribbon around its neck, and Arthur decided he liked it.

Giving it a small squeeze, he was surprised when a small crackling sound came from the bear. The phrase 'Honey, I love you' played from the speaker inside the toy, and then the bear was silent. Arthur gave it another hug, and it repeated the message.

Love. How strange, that someone was confessing their feelings via a plush animal. Still, Arthur's heart thumped in his chest, and he couldn't help but find the action charming.

Setting the bear on his bed, he wondered if anything would come of this. The gifts were nice, yes, but he would like to put a face to all of these tokens. Well, Valentine's day seemed to be an ideal chance, if his admirer was going to show themselves, it would probably be then. Arthur would just have to wait.

Arthur had picked Danny up from school a few hours later, and his son got in the car while holding a decorated box and a bag of wrapped chocolates. He had some pink frosting on his cheek, and he smiled, looking into the front seat and at his mother.

"The party was today! Valentine's day is on Sunday so we had it early. I got so many cards, and I got my very own Valentine! Her name is Sophie, she gave me this chocolate, so I made her a card in class-"

Arthur chuckled, and listened to him as he took him home. As they pulled up to the building, Arthur slowed down, looking to his left to find Alfred outside. There was an empty grass lot next their complex, and Alfred was outside with his dog.

Alfred looked up as Arthur drove past, and gave an animated wave, breaking into his trademark grin. Arthur smiled back, giving a half wave as he drove up to the building and parked out front.

As Arthur got out, Alfred gestured for him to come over. Arthur rose a brow, and pointed to himself as if to ask 'Me?'

His neighbor nodded quickly, and he walked over, standing next to Alfred.

"Um, yes? Did you need something?" The omega asked, and Alfred shrugged.

"I mean..I guess not, only wanted to talk!" He chuckled, and then looked away. "I've been teaching Betsy here a new trick. D'you wanna see?"

Danny had followed Arthur from the car, and nodded quickly. Arthur chuckled, and nodded as well. "Well...alright.."

The moment Arthur agreed, Alfred broke into a huge grin, and he took Arthur's hand, pulling him closer. "Here, watch-" He let go, and knelt down, whistling. Betsy bounded up, and he made a motion with his hand. She dropped down, and rolled over, barking as Alfred threw her a treat.

"You try it now, Arthur." He hummed, smiling at him. Arthur reddened, just a bit, and knelt down, making the same motion with his hand. Betsy rolled over, and barked as she sat up, waiting for her reward. Alfred placed a treat in Arthur's palm, and the omega held it out. Betsy took it, and Arthur got to his feet. "That was..fun, Alfred. Thank you." He smiled shyly, and took Danny by the hand.

"Come on, we should be getting home." He walked towards the building, looking over and waving to Alfred like he had a few days prior. This time, Alfred called out to him.

"I'll see you soon, Arthur!" He promised, and Arthur wondered what he meant.

Arthur woke up late on Valentine's day, curled up in the middle of his bed with the stuffed bear in the crook of his arm. He gave it a squeeze, smiling at the 'Honey I love you' that played on command. There had been no present yesterday, but, whether or not this was the last thing he got, this bear was his favorite.

He got out of bed, rubbing his eyes. The bear was placed on the bed, and Arthur went to his mirror, briefly messing his hair before giving up on it per usual. He left his bedroom to make himself some tea, and he glanced over into the living area. Danny was watching cartoons and sitting on the floor. Arthur smiled fondly, and made his drink, sitting at the counter and nursing it quietly.

He'd just finished his drink, and was rinsing out the cup when there was a knock on the door. Danny started to get up, but Arthur shook his head. "I'll get it." he assured, and his son sat back down.

Arthur opened the door, looking out to find Alfred standing in front of him. He was dressed in a clean, black suit and tie, and the nerves were evident in his scent. Alfred held out a box of candy and a bouquet of flowers, smiling bashfully.

"Hey, Arthur..." He started, voice cautious and slow. "You busy?"

Arthur just looked at him, and shook his head after a moment of hesitation. "No.. I was planning to stay home today." Embarrassment spiked in his scent as he realized what he looked like. Alfred stood in front of him in a suit and tie, and Arthur was still in a plain, grey t-shirt and flannel pants.

"Good! And um- it's okay. You look fine." Alfred smiled, and then looked down. "Sodoyou-" He stopped and cleared his throat. "Do you..want to go out. Please."

Arthur blinked, and chuckled fondly as he accepted the flowers and candy. "Alfred, Love, I can't exactly just leave whenever I'd like." He gestured to his son, and Alfred reddened, apologizing.

"-But," Arthur continued, "You're more than welcome to come inside. You can go home and change if you'd like.."

Alfred shook his head, and stepped inside, suit and all. "Nah, that's fine. and um, one more thing."

Arthur looked over at him, and Alfred winked, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Honey, I love you." He chuckled, and Arthur blushed, rolling his eyes.

"It's more charming when the bear says it." Arthur quipped, smiling as he looked away. Alfred laughed.

"I'll change your mind eventually."


End file.
